Monday, February 18, 2013

My Heart Beats Red, White, and Blue

Hi everyone,

Time for Day 2 of Design Boot Camp!  This month's topic is creating a focal point. Maybe it's just wishful thinking but, as I look at all of the cards I created for our VCMP, I really believe this is a part of design theory that I've come to do pretty well.   :)

So, let's put this theory to the test. Paula mentions that our card should showcase a star that is supported by the other card elements, much like the star of a film is supported by the other actors in the cast.

In the card below, my intent was to cast the paper-pieced heart in the starring role. To accomplish this:
  • I double framed the heart using (neutral) tan and deep navy rectangles as its base. 
  • The red strip was placed to run under the center of the rectangles to bring focus back to the heart. (The red strip was crimped and embellished with brads to add a little extra interest.) 
  • These elements were placed on top of white to pop the colors. (The white rectangle was embossed for a little contrast and added interest.) 
  • I used navy for the card base to connect the card background with the heart. 
  • For further continuity, I used the same cardstocks for all of the white elements and all of the red elements throughout the card. 
cardstock: AC and Distress Ink core; original heart pattern created in Word
tools: Sizzix ef, crimper, sander; embellishments: Recollections brads

Note: Wish the image did justice to the colors. The red is a much richer red.
The brads are a much deeper blue, about the same color as the cardstock.

I've actually been tinkering with this idea for awhile. The design is an original, created using shapes in Word. Its inspiration was the heart in Sweet Stamp Shop's God Bless America stamp set.

I'm pretty pleased with the way this little heart turned out. So, don't be surprised if you don't see it starring in a couple more cards in the days to come.  :)


 Parting Thoughts

Since the colors of Ohio's state flag are red, white, and blue, think I'll also post this card for this week's Midweek Throwdown.

Looking forward to seeing the other focal point cards in this session of boot camp. Thanks again, Paula, for being our camp instructor!

As always, thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

4 comments:

Paula S. said...

This would make a great Any Hero card Sybrina! I definitely looked at the star image first in this design and then over to the 3 star brads. The two elements are almost equally balanced which does create some tension (which might be intentional) in this symmetrical design. A slightly larger blue frame around the image might eliminate that tension. Thanks for joining in on February's Bootcamp!

Unknown said...

Paula is right! This would be an awesome Any Hero card! That heart is just amazing! I don't think I would be able to design my own, but yours is beautiful!

Erika said...

It's great that you took the time to make your own image. This is a great patriotic card.

Desert Rose Stamper said...

I like your heart design - one cannot go wrong using Red, White and Blue -- that is great that your State's flag are those same colors. Thanks for sharing your creation.

Sharon S.